Proverbs 6:6-11
New Living Translation
6 Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones.
Learn from their ways and become wise!
7 Though they have no prince
or governor or ruler to make them work,
8 they labor hard all summer,
gathering food for the winter.
9 But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep?
When will you wake up?
10 A little extra sleep, a little more slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest—
11 then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit;
scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.
Proverbs 6:6-11
King James Version
6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,
8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.
9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.
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Proverbs 10:4
New Living Translation
4 Lazy people are soon poor;
hard workers get rich.
Proverbs 10:4
King James Version
4 He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.
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Proverbs 10:5
New Living Translation
5 A wise youth harvests in the summer,
but one who sleeps during harvest is a disgrace.
Proverbs 10:5
King James Version
5 He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.
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Proverbs 10:26
New Living Translation
26 Lazy people irritate their employers,
like vinegar to the teeth or smoke in the eyes.
Proverbs 10:26
King James Version
26 As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him.
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Proverbs 12:11
New Living Translation
11 A hard worker has plenty of food,
but a person who chases fantasies has no sense.
Proverbs 12:11
King James Version
11 He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding.
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Proverbs 12:24
New Living Translation
24 Work hard and become a leader;
be lazy and become a slave.
Proverbs 12:24
King James Version
24 The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.
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Proverbs 12:27
New Living Translation
27 Lazy people don’t even cook the game they catch,
but the diligent make use of everything they find.
Proverbs 12:27
King James Version
27 The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious.
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Proverbs 13:4
New Living Translation
4 Lazy people want much but get little,
but those who work hard will prosper.
Proverbs 13:4
King James Version
4 The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.
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Proverbs 13:11
New Living Translation
11 Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears;
wealth from hard work grows over time.
Proverbs 13:11
King James Version
11 Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase.
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Proverbs 14:4
New Living Translation
4 Without oxen a stable stays clean,
but you need a strong ox for a large harvest.
Proverbs 14:4
King James Version
4 Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox.
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Proverbs 15:19
New Living Translation
19 A lazy person’s way is blocked with briers,
but the path of the upright is an open highway.
Proverbs 15:19
King James Version
19 The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain.
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Proverbs 16:26
New Living Translation
26 It is good for workers to have an appetite;
an empty stomach drives them on.
Proverbs 16:26
King James Version
26 He that laboureth laboureth for himself; for his mouth craveth it of him.
Read full chapterHoly Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.